North Bondi Fish is a seafood restaurant in Bondi, Sydney.
Beach-side seafood diner above North Bondi's Ramsgate Avenue, Sydney. Fish and chips, oysters, salt-and-pepper squid, walk-in courtyard tables most days.
Signature dishes: Fish and chips, Salt-and-pepper squid, Whole grilled snapper
Must order: The fish and chips with North Bondi's chip-shop slaw.
Tip: No bookings; the upstairs terrace is the prize at sunset.
Address: 120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi NSW 2026, Sydney
Modern Thai institution on Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The caramelised pork hock has stayed on the menu for more than two decades.
Signature: Caramelised pork hock, Eggnet salad, Crispy fish salad
Order: Caramelised pork hock with five-spice and chilli.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; bookings recommended on weekends.
Japanese izakaya on King Street, Newtown, Sydney. Yakitori from binchotan, tonkotsu ramen, sake-and-highball list, late-night walk-in tables.
Signature: Yakitori skewers, Tonkotsu ramen, Karaage chicken
Order: Yakitori chef's selection and tonkotsu ramen.
Tip: Open till midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Long-running Lebanese family-run restaurant on Haldon Street, Lakemba, Sydney. Mezze, mixed grills, halal-certified, generous family-style service.
Signature: Mixed grill, Hummus with lamb, Tabouleh
Order: Mixed grill platter for the table and the hummus.
Tip: Cash-friendly; the Ramadan late-night service is famous in Sydney.
Sydney's canonical charcoal chicken shop on South Street, Granville. Whole chickens, garlic toum that defines the Sydney garlic-on-chicken canon.
Signature: Charcoal chicken, Garlic toum, Tabouleh
Order: Whole chicken, large toum, family-size chips.
Tip: Open late; takeaway queue moves faster than the dine-in line.
Italian neighbourhood room on Belgrave Street, Manly, Sydney. House-made pasta, Italian wood-fired pizza, the kind of beachside trattoria Manly was missing.
Signature: Pasta alla Norma, Wood-fired pizza, Tiramisu
Order: Pasta alla Norma and an Etna red.
Tip: Book ahead on summer weekends; the terrace is the trophy seat.
Gelato Messina's Darlinghurst flagship on Victoria Street, Sydney. House-churned gelato, weekly special-flavour drops, walk-in friendly weeknights.
Signature: Salted caramel and white chocolate, Pannacotta with fig jam, Doughnut sandwich
Order: Two-scoop cup of salted caramel and pannacotta.
Tip: The doughnut sandwich is a hidden Messina menu item, ask at the counter.
